It has taken nearly three months, but I’m finally beginning to feel happy about buying this house. Sure, I’m still worried about paying the enormous mortgage; but today in particular, I feel good.
The temperature is back to 70°, Diego has settled in and loves spending his day following the sun around the house. I work here in my little home office with the French doors open to the backyard. This has become a little haven, and being able to look over my backyard, green and cool and peaceful, has really calmed me down and helped me relax a bit.
No, I still don’t have a job other than my freelance work. Yes, the cost of living here is astronomical. Yes, I miss my friends an co-workers back home. But at least one part of my decision to move here is working out just fine.
Nonetheless, seeing my property tax reassessment has just undone what relaxation I was able to get earlier.
I was actually terrified of my new condo here in Arlington for a couple of months after moving out of the basement apt in DC. Part of it I finally realized, was all the LIGHT. I had moved from a dark basement to a top floor with skylights. And I needed drapes. And there were squirrels in the attic for the first couple weeks. But I was so neurotic, I actually slept over at a friend’s apt in Courthouse a mile away for almost every night the first couple weeks (in his bed with him, but nothing happened). Yeah, I’m that f*cked up.